July 1, 2025 • 22 mins
On episode 53, Tim shares a Testimony from France after a bold listener named Denis sent an email to bringheavendown7@gmail.com.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome into episode number fifty three of Bring Heaven Down.
My name is Tim and I'm the host of this
daily devotional podcast that shows un vide your feed Monday
through Friday. Today's testimony Tuesday, one of my favorite days
of the week. I love sharing testimonies because there is
so much power in a testimony. So if you feel
(00:24):
led or called by the Holy Spirit to share your
testimony today, email the show Bring Heaven Down number seven
at gmail dot com. All testimonies of how Jesus changed
one's life is powerful. Bring Heaven Down number seven at
gmail dot com. Grab your favorite drink or a cup
(00:47):
of coffee, and let's bring Heaven a little closer together.
Today's testimony is different than most because the subject line
of the email says testimony from France and I'm going
(01:10):
to butcher this name, so I'm very sorry. But it
is spelled d E nis c A r r E
and it says this Hello. I'm a keen follower of
your podcast. They are very inspiring. Thank you so much
for sharing these and bringing us closer to our Lord.
(01:34):
Here is my testimony from my baptism. It took place
on March thirtieth, twenty twenty five in the Evangelist Church
of i In Province in the south of France. Thanks
again for your great work and keep it up. May
God bless you. Testimony for my Christian baptism. March thirtieth,
(01:55):
twenty twenty five. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Let
me begin by quoting Our Lord Jesus Christ from John
fourteen six. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I'd like to start by telling you who I am
and why I'm standing before you today as a witness
of my baptism and public confession of faith and Our
Lord on this Sunday, March thirtieth, twenty twenty five. Picture
(02:19):
a three year old boy held in the arms of
a temporary caregiver, standing in the bustling corridors of Paris
Orley Airport, heart pounding to the rhythm of loudspeaker announcements
in a language he didn't understand. It was April twenty second,
nineteen eighty two, the day a new chapter of my
(02:40):
life began. After three years in an orphanage. A family
was waiting for me in a city called Kamala Yars
near Clement Ferrand. I didn't know then that This vivid memory,
steels so clear in my mind, would become one of
(03:02):
the most defining moments of my life. Even today, when
I close my eyes, I can still hear the airpois noise,
the hum of voices, footsteps echoing on the floor, and
the strange feeling of standing at the edge of something
entirely new. I remember the odd plastic taste in the
cup of water offered to me by the woman who,
(03:23):
from that day on became my mother. That water, cool
and unforgettable, felt like a symbol of rebirth, perhaps even
a prophetic sign of the baptism that would one day come.
This city kamel Yars, I know I butchered. That became
a haven of peace. More than just a roof over
(03:46):
my head, It was a life filled with affection and
endless curiosity. My family, with the immense kindness, gave me
the freedom to explore the world and my passions music, photography,
martial arts, radio. The world was open to me with
no barriers. But among all these experiences, one fascination began
to grow in me. The story of Jesus, that name,
(04:09):
that presence that drew me in like a magnet. Why
maybe it was an early calling a quiet whisper, I
didn't yet know how to hear a breeze from the unseen.
Years passed, and in two thousand and one another beginning
awaited me. I moved to Ireland, a land of opportunity
that became my new home. I dove headfirst into the
(04:31):
business world, chasing success and ambition. Pure brutal capitalism welcomed
me with open arms. I became a business consultant and
investment advisor, a broker, a political delegate. My phone never
stopped ringing, conferences piled up, the demands were constant. The
(04:52):
money flowed. A house in Cork, a duplex in Dublin,
luxury cars I had at all. I became the Irish
version of a Wall Street wolf. Actually I became a
full on wolf. Vanity took root, But deep down was
I happy? And that's the real question. When you rise
too fast, you often forget to look where you're stepping.
(05:14):
The fall hit hard, A few bad choices and everything crumbled.
I lost everything and found myself homeless. A church in
Cork opened its doors to me. Amid all my unanswered questions,
I found comfort, a place to rest. Was that Jesus
calling me again? Maybe but my heart remained closed. The
world around me was falling apart, and I still wasn't
(05:37):
ready to listen. Then life took an unexpected turn, almost
like a cosmic joke. One day someone said I looked
like Korean singer Psy from Gagnum style. That resemblance opened
some very strange doors, a path full of silly but
enticing opportunities. Overnight, this coincidence brought me easy money, sudden fame,
(06:02):
celebrity encounters, trips around the world, even to what is
said to be the tomb of our Messiah in Jerusalem.
Was that another call, perhaps, But the devil's temptation for
a glamorous life lured me again. I was dazzled by
the false promises of worldly fame, blinded once more to
(06:22):
God's true glory. It was a mirage, one that fed
my ego while starving my soul. That short lived career
eventually led me to the casino industry, a world filled
with daily temptation, with the love of money and all
kinds of vice knock at your door constantly. Luxury designer labels, champagne.
(06:42):
They were back in my life, and they became an obsession,
a hunger for more always more, But this glittering world
slowly devoured me from the inside. Three years ago, I
hit another rock bottom, this time spiritual pride, vanity, excess.
They swallowed me whole. My health declinated, my public life
(07:06):
began to consume my private one, like a man sawing
off the branch he's sitting on. I dug myself deeper
and deeper into destruction. I had become a disco ball,
reflecting everyone else's light but producing none of my own. Now,
looking back, in all those chaotic years and contradictory experiences,
I asked myself, what is true wealth? Is it in
(07:28):
what we own or who we are? My trials, my failures,
my wonderings, they all led me here to this moment,
maybe so I could finally understand that true light doesn't
shine from the outside. It radiates from within, from the
holy spirit of Jesus, who through the Cross has given
us grace. So yes, Jesus is the way. The past
(07:50):
three years have been a long road of rebuilding, a
hard road full of trials and awakenings. I failed in
many ways. I betrayed my family, my friends, neglected those
I loved. I was blinded by materialism, easy money, glitter
and lust. Everything I once believed was success led only
to pain, loathliness, and loss. Three years ago. It could
(08:14):
have ended tragically, but Jesus reached out his hand once again.
Even though I had ignored his call many times, he
never stopped looking for me. Every time I stepped back,
he stepped forward tenfold. Slowly, he showed me his light.
On January sixth, twenty twenty four, he revealed himself to me.
Here I'd share the story about the Halo. I began
(08:38):
to see the truth, and the truth is that Jesus,
through his immeasurable love forgave me even when I thought
I didn't deserve it. Yes, Jesus is the truth. The
forgiveness of my wife, my family, my daughters, and most
of all, the forgiveness of Jesus. Through that, I came
(08:58):
to understand what's written in Roman six twenty three. For
the wages of sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life. In Christ, Jesus, our Lord, Jesus,
paid the price for my sins, and because of him
I am forgiven, set free, and restored by faith. I
accept his grace and give him all the glory. It's
important for me to share that. When I was three
(09:19):
years old, I was adopted from South Korea. I was
likely abandoned. But I'm standing here today and I see
that as a miracle. Thank you, Lord for saving me,
forgiving me a family, a home, a second chance at life.
I've always seen adoption as something painful, not because of
where it leads, but because of how it begins with separation,
with abandonment, with uprooting. But now I realized that my
(09:41):
adoption wasn't just a human act. It was a divine appointment.
In that adoption, I found grace and love beyond anything
my origins might have suggested. Yes, Jesus is the life.
I now realize how many times I risked losing everything.
I put my health on the line, acted recklessly, sometimes
(10:02):
even destructively, and yet God kept showing up, sending answers
when I was lost in my darkest moments. He guided me,
he placed signs on my path, and despite all my failures,
he never stopped watching over me. Today, on the day
of my baptism, I choose God as a sign of repentance.
I choose his word. I choose Jesus as my savior.
(10:24):
In my Lord, I choose to put God first in
my life. I choose to follow Him as my shepherd,
and I will be his eternal lamb. My baptism marks
my spiritual resurrection, my crossing from death to life, and
I pray that just as He has filled my heart,
he fills the hearts of those who seek His light.
There are moments in life when words fall short, when
(10:47):
gratitude overflows like an unstoppable spring. March thirtieth, twenty twenty
five is one of those days. To my wife, my daughters,
and family, I want to express the words of infinite gratitude.
Your forgiveness through the mercy of our Lord was like
a light in my darkness. It has soothed my wounds.
You were the breath that lifted me when I was
(11:08):
falling into the valley of shadows. May God bless you.
May he walk beside you on your own journey of faith,
and may He light each of your steps, just as
in his love he let mine. Dear brothers and sisters,
May you who hear me, you who doubt you, who
are stumbling in darkness, May you find in this testimony
the hope your soul longs for. Because God never abandoned us.
(11:32):
He is there, patient, loving, ready to reach out to
the one who stumbles, ready to restore what's been broken,
ready to offer a new life to the one who
thought all was lost. Today I stand before you a
renewed man, a witness to my own spiritual resurrection. Gee.
Just as Christ defeated death by his cross and offered
(11:55):
salvation to the world, I too have risen, not by
my own strength, by his infinite grace. And I will
close with the prayer Matthew taught us our father who
worked in heaven. Hollywood, be thy name, Thy Kingdom, Come,
that will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us
our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
(12:17):
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For that is the kingdom and the power and the
glory forever and ever. And to that I can only
say one word, a word that resounds from the depths
of my soul and heart. Amen. May God bless you
all be abundantly blessed. Glory to you Jesus. Wow, what
(12:41):
an incredible testimony. This podcast will be right back after
this shortbreak on. There are a lot of things to
touch on, and I'm going to try to do it efficiently.
(13:02):
The first thing that stands out to me, of course,
is the beginning of his testimony. It was adopted and
put up for adoption, which is something I've never experienced.
Is something that I've seen other people experience, but it's
one of those things where I don't think you can
(13:24):
fully understand what it means or the pain of going
through until you actually experience yourself. You read stories, you
hear experiences, you can read testimonies, but without going through
the experience yourself, I don't think we could ever feel
(13:44):
what people like him feel. The other part that stands
out to me it talks about his move to Ireland,
the land of opportunity. He had luxury, he had cars,
he had a duplex and ubplin, a house in Cork.
He had it all, and then he hit hard, a
(14:06):
few bad choices and everything crumbled. I lost everything and
found myself homeless. He hits rock bottom and then life
takes an unexpected turn. He looked like the Korean singer
ps Y from Gangnam Style, and then the world filled
(14:27):
his life with daily temptation, with the love of money
and all kinds of vice knock at your door constantly.
Luxury Designer, Labor, Champagne. They were back in my life
and they became an obsession. And why this stands out
to me is that this is a good lesson for
all of us that are not living a life of luxury.
(14:50):
I think sometimes what we do is we start playing
the what if game with ourselves, and we ask ourselves,
what if I was rich, What if I had this car,
If I had this house, and I had this car,
and I had this family, then I would be happy.
If the world filled me with all of its worthy greatness,
(15:12):
then I would be happy. And the truth is in
this testimony luxury design labels, Champagne. When they were all
back in his life, it led into more destruction. He says,
I had become a disco ball, reflecting everyone else's light
(15:34):
but producing none of my own. He says, now, looking back,
in all those chaotok years and contradictory experiences, I asked myself,
what is wealth? Is it in what we own or
who we are? That's a great line, because everything that
we own eventually means nothing, because at the end of
(15:58):
the day, we cannot take it with us to the
Kingdom of Heaven. Our money, our cars, our house, all
of it is material. So when he says is it
in what we own or who we are? It is
in who we are. The wealth is in who we
are because we are children of God. Every single person
(16:27):
that ever existed is a child of God. Whether they
recognize that or not is a different story. But every
single person living is a child of God. And that
is where our true wealth reigns. Because if you know
you are a child of God, then you will be
(16:49):
in heaven for eternity, which is something that I don't
think we can fully wrap our minds around because everything
is within days or weeks or months or years. Eternity
is never ending, which is almost a little intimidating when
you think about it. So I love the way he
(17:12):
worded that, is it in true wealth or is it
in what we own? Or is it who we are?
Because money is just money. Cars are just a car.
If you are rich and wealthy and you own houses
(17:32):
in multiple countries, but you don't know Jesus, you are lost.
If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, you
are lost. If you find more value in your money
and possessions than you do a relationship with Jesus, you
are lost. I also love this part. It says from
(17:53):
the holy Spirit of Jesus, who through the Cross has
given us grace. Buddy is too far gone from Jesus's grace,
not even the worst sinner in the world, because Jesus'
grace runs so much deeper than we could even realize.
(18:17):
Jesus died on the cross a perfect man so that
one day you would come to him and say, Lord,
I trust in you. You are my savior, and you
are the Way, the truth, and the life. So as
much as he went through the ups, the hard downs,
(18:42):
the possessions, the struggles, it all comes back to the
grace that Jesus showed him and the love that Jesus
showed him. And he says the past three years have
been a long road of rebuilding, a hard road full
(19:05):
of trials and awakenings. I failed in many ways. I
portrayed my family, my friends, and neglected those I love.
If you are going through something that's difficult or challenging,
remember that Jesus still loves you, and Jesus still wants
you to come back to him. And if there's somebody
(19:27):
in your life that's going through something, encourage them with
the same words. Nobody is too far gone, because Jesus's
grace extends to everyone that seeks it and wants it. Lastly,
(19:49):
I love when he goes back to the different perspectives
of his adoption. He says, I was adopted from South Korea.
I was likely abandoned, but I'm standing here today and
I see that as a miracle. Thank you Lord for
saving me, forgiving me a family, a home, a second
chance at life. I've always seen adoption as something painful,
(20:13):
not because of where it leads, but because of how
it begins, with separation, with abandonment, with uprooting. But now
I realize that my adoption wasn't just a human act.
It was a divine appointment, and that adoption I found
grace and love beyond anything my origins might have suggested.
I love this perspective because this perspective is something that
(20:38):
I've certainly felt in my life with different experiences. When
you look back on it and you're actually grateful for it,
and this is the power of God and the power
of the Holy Spirit working in one's life. Because he
originally sought as painful a separation, abandonment, uprooting, But then
(20:58):
the Holy Spirit got ahold of his life, and now
he looks back on it as a divine appointment. He
looks back on that moment and says, this brought me
to Jesus. And that's the transformation that Jesus and the
Holy Spirit produces in one's life. When you can look
(21:21):
back on a moment and remember just how painful or
hard it was, and then you can look back and say, huh,
that moment actually set me forward into our relationship with Jesus.
So I love that. What an amazing testimony. If you
(21:44):
want to share your testimony like he did, email the
show Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail dot com.
I'd love for you to share it. There are no
bad testimonies. Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail dot com.
Thank you for listening, and I hope you all have
a good day.
Welcome into episode number fifty three of Bring Heaven Down.
My name is Tim and I'm the host of this
daily devotional podcast that shows un vide your feed Monday
through Friday. Today's testimony Tuesday, one of my favorite days
of the week. I love sharing testimonies because there is
so much power in a testimony. So if you feel
(00:24):
led or called by the Holy Spirit to share your
testimony today, email the show Bring Heaven Down number seven
at gmail dot com. All testimonies of how Jesus changed
one's life is powerful. Bring Heaven Down number seven at
gmail dot com. Grab your favorite drink or a cup
(00:47):
of coffee, and let's bring Heaven a little closer together.
Today's testimony is different than most because the subject line
of the email says testimony from France and I'm going
(01:10):
to butcher this name, so I'm very sorry. But it
is spelled d E nis c A r r E
and it says this Hello. I'm a keen follower of
your podcast. They are very inspiring. Thank you so much
for sharing these and bringing us closer to our Lord.
(01:34):
Here is my testimony from my baptism. It took place
on March thirtieth, twenty twenty five in the Evangelist Church
of i In Province in the south of France. Thanks
again for your great work and keep it up. May
God bless you. Testimony for my Christian baptism. March thirtieth,
(01:55):
twenty twenty five. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ. Let
me begin by quoting Our Lord Jesus Christ from John
fourteen six. I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I'd like to start by telling you who I am
and why I'm standing before you today as a witness
of my baptism and public confession of faith and Our
Lord on this Sunday, March thirtieth, twenty twenty five. Picture
(02:19):
a three year old boy held in the arms of
a temporary caregiver, standing in the bustling corridors of Paris
Orley Airport, heart pounding to the rhythm of loudspeaker announcements
in a language he didn't understand. It was April twenty second,
nineteen eighty two, the day a new chapter of my
(02:40):
life began. After three years in an orphanage. A family
was waiting for me in a city called Kamala Yars
near Clement Ferrand. I didn't know then that This vivid memory,
steels so clear in my mind, would become one of
(03:02):
the most defining moments of my life. Even today, when
I close my eyes, I can still hear the airpois noise,
the hum of voices, footsteps echoing on the floor, and
the strange feeling of standing at the edge of something
entirely new. I remember the odd plastic taste in the
cup of water offered to me by the woman who,
(03:23):
from that day on became my mother. That water, cool
and unforgettable, felt like a symbol of rebirth, perhaps even
a prophetic sign of the baptism that would one day come.
This city kamel Yars, I know I butchered. That became
a haven of peace. More than just a roof over
(03:46):
my head, It was a life filled with affection and
endless curiosity. My family, with the immense kindness, gave me
the freedom to explore the world and my passions music, photography,
martial arts, radio. The world was open to me with
no barriers. But among all these experiences, one fascination began
to grow in me. The story of Jesus, that name,
(04:09):
that presence that drew me in like a magnet. Why
maybe it was an early calling a quiet whisper, I
didn't yet know how to hear a breeze from the unseen.
Years passed, and in two thousand and one another beginning
awaited me. I moved to Ireland, a land of opportunity
that became my new home. I dove headfirst into the
(04:31):
business world, chasing success and ambition. Pure brutal capitalism welcomed
me with open arms. I became a business consultant and
investment advisor, a broker, a political delegate. My phone never
stopped ringing, conferences piled up, the demands were constant. The
(04:52):
money flowed. A house in Cork, a duplex in Dublin,
luxury cars I had at all. I became the Irish
version of a Wall Street wolf. Actually I became a
full on wolf. Vanity took root, But deep down was
I happy? And that's the real question. When you rise
too fast, you often forget to look where you're stepping.
(05:14):
The fall hit hard, A few bad choices and everything crumbled.
I lost everything and found myself homeless. A church in
Cork opened its doors to me. Amid all my unanswered questions,
I found comfort, a place to rest. Was that Jesus
calling me again? Maybe but my heart remained closed. The
world around me was falling apart, and I still wasn't
(05:37):
ready to listen. Then life took an unexpected turn, almost
like a cosmic joke. One day someone said I looked
like Korean singer Psy from Gagnum style. That resemblance opened
some very strange doors, a path full of silly but
enticing opportunities. Overnight, this coincidence brought me easy money, sudden fame,
(06:02):
celebrity encounters, trips around the world, even to what is
said to be the tomb of our Messiah in Jerusalem.
Was that another call, perhaps, But the devil's temptation for
a glamorous life lured me again. I was dazzled by
the false promises of worldly fame, blinded once more to
(06:22):
God's true glory. It was a mirage, one that fed
my ego while starving my soul. That short lived career
eventually led me to the casino industry, a world filled
with daily temptation, with the love of money and all
kinds of vice knock at your door constantly. Luxury designer labels, champagne.
(06:42):
They were back in my life, and they became an obsession,
a hunger for more always more, But this glittering world
slowly devoured me from the inside. Three years ago, I
hit another rock bottom, this time spiritual pride, vanity, excess.
They swallowed me whole. My health declinated, my public life
(07:06):
began to consume my private one, like a man sawing
off the branch he's sitting on. I dug myself deeper
and deeper into destruction. I had become a disco ball,
reflecting everyone else's light but producing none of my own. Now,
looking back, in all those chaotic years and contradictory experiences,
I asked myself, what is true wealth? Is it in
(07:28):
what we own or who we are? My trials, my failures,
my wonderings, they all led me here to this moment,
maybe so I could finally understand that true light doesn't
shine from the outside. It radiates from within, from the
holy spirit of Jesus, who through the Cross has given
us grace. So yes, Jesus is the way. The past
(07:50):
three years have been a long road of rebuilding, a
hard road full of trials and awakenings. I failed in
many ways. I betrayed my family, my friends, neglected those
I loved. I was blinded by materialism, easy money, glitter
and lust. Everything I once believed was success led only
to pain, loathliness, and loss. Three years ago. It could
(08:14):
have ended tragically, but Jesus reached out his hand once again.
Even though I had ignored his call many times, he
never stopped looking for me. Every time I stepped back,
he stepped forward tenfold. Slowly, he showed me his light.
On January sixth, twenty twenty four, he revealed himself to me.
Here I'd share the story about the Halo. I began
(08:38):
to see the truth, and the truth is that Jesus,
through his immeasurable love forgave me even when I thought
I didn't deserve it. Yes, Jesus is the truth. The
forgiveness of my wife, my family, my daughters, and most
of all, the forgiveness of Jesus. Through that, I came
(08:58):
to understand what's written in Roman six twenty three. For
the wages of sin is death, but the free gift
of God is eternal life. In Christ, Jesus, our Lord, Jesus,
paid the price for my sins, and because of him
I am forgiven, set free, and restored by faith. I
accept his grace and give him all the glory. It's
important for me to share that. When I was three
(09:19):
years old, I was adopted from South Korea. I was
likely abandoned. But I'm standing here today and I see
that as a miracle. Thank you, Lord for saving me,
forgiving me a family, a home, a second chance at life.
I've always seen adoption as something painful, not because of
where it leads, but because of how it begins with separation,
with abandonment, with uprooting. But now I realized that my
(09:41):
adoption wasn't just a human act. It was a divine appointment.
In that adoption, I found grace and love beyond anything
my origins might have suggested. Yes, Jesus is the life.
I now realize how many times I risked losing everything.
I put my health on the line, acted recklessly, sometimes
(10:02):
even destructively, and yet God kept showing up, sending answers
when I was lost in my darkest moments. He guided me,
he placed signs on my path, and despite all my failures,
he never stopped watching over me. Today, on the day
of my baptism, I choose God as a sign of repentance.
I choose his word. I choose Jesus as my savior.
(10:24):
In my Lord, I choose to put God first in
my life. I choose to follow Him as my shepherd,
and I will be his eternal lamb. My baptism marks
my spiritual resurrection, my crossing from death to life, and
I pray that just as He has filled my heart,
he fills the hearts of those who seek His light.
There are moments in life when words fall short, when
(10:47):
gratitude overflows like an unstoppable spring. March thirtieth, twenty twenty
five is one of those days. To my wife, my daughters,
and family, I want to express the words of infinite gratitude.
Your forgiveness through the mercy of our Lord was like
a light in my darkness. It has soothed my wounds.
You were the breath that lifted me when I was
(11:08):
falling into the valley of shadows. May God bless you.
May he walk beside you on your own journey of faith,
and may He light each of your steps, just as
in his love he let mine. Dear brothers and sisters,
May you who hear me, you who doubt you, who
are stumbling in darkness, May you find in this testimony
the hope your soul longs for. Because God never abandoned us.
(11:32):
He is there, patient, loving, ready to reach out to
the one who stumbles, ready to restore what's been broken,
ready to offer a new life to the one who
thought all was lost. Today I stand before you a
renewed man, a witness to my own spiritual resurrection. Gee.
Just as Christ defeated death by his cross and offered
(11:55):
salvation to the world, I too have risen, not by
my own strength, by his infinite grace. And I will
close with the prayer Matthew taught us our father who
worked in heaven. Hollywood, be thy name, Thy Kingdom, Come,
that will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us
our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
(12:17):
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For that is the kingdom and the power and the
glory forever and ever. And to that I can only
say one word, a word that resounds from the depths
of my soul and heart. Amen. May God bless you
all be abundantly blessed. Glory to you Jesus. Wow, what
(12:41):
an incredible testimony. This podcast will be right back after
this shortbreak on. There are a lot of things to
touch on, and I'm going to try to do it efficiently.
(13:02):
The first thing that stands out to me, of course,
is the beginning of his testimony. It was adopted and
put up for adoption, which is something I've never experienced.
Is something that I've seen other people experience, but it's
one of those things where I don't think you can
(13:24):
fully understand what it means or the pain of going
through until you actually experience yourself. You read stories, you
hear experiences, you can read testimonies, but without going through
the experience yourself, I don't think we could ever feel
(13:44):
what people like him feel. The other part that stands
out to me it talks about his move to Ireland,
the land of opportunity. He had luxury, he had cars,
he had a duplex and ubplin, a house in Cork.
He had it all, and then he hit hard, a
(14:06):
few bad choices and everything crumbled. I lost everything and
found myself homeless. He hits rock bottom and then life
takes an unexpected turn. He looked like the Korean singer
ps Y from Gangnam Style, and then the world filled
(14:27):
his life with daily temptation, with the love of money
and all kinds of vice knock at your door constantly.
Luxury Designer, Labor, Champagne. They were back in my life
and they became an obsession. And why this stands out
to me is that this is a good lesson for
all of us that are not living a life of luxury.
(14:50):
I think sometimes what we do is we start playing
the what if game with ourselves, and we ask ourselves,
what if I was rich, What if I had this car,
If I had this house, and I had this car,
and I had this family, then I would be happy.
If the world filled me with all of its worthy greatness,
(15:12):
then I would be happy. And the truth is in
this testimony luxury design labels, Champagne. When they were all
back in his life, it led into more destruction. He says,
I had become a disco ball, reflecting everyone else's light
(15:34):
but producing none of my own. He says, now, looking back,
in all those chaotok years and contradictory experiences, I asked myself,
what is wealth? Is it in what we own or
who we are? That's a great line, because everything that
we own eventually means nothing, because at the end of
(15:58):
the day, we cannot take it with us to the
Kingdom of Heaven. Our money, our cars, our house, all
of it is material. So when he says is it
in what we own or who we are? It is
in who we are. The wealth is in who we
are because we are children of God. Every single person
(16:27):
that ever existed is a child of God. Whether they
recognize that or not is a different story. But every
single person living is a child of God. And that
is where our true wealth reigns. Because if you know
you are a child of God, then you will be
(16:49):
in heaven for eternity, which is something that I don't
think we can fully wrap our minds around because everything
is within days or weeks or months or years. Eternity
is never ending, which is almost a little intimidating when
you think about it. So I love the way he
(17:12):
worded that, is it in true wealth or is it
in what we own? Or is it who we are?
Because money is just money. Cars are just a car.
If you are rich and wealthy and you own houses
(17:32):
in multiple countries, but you don't know Jesus, you are lost.
If you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus, you
are lost. If you find more value in your money
and possessions than you do a relationship with Jesus, you
are lost. I also love this part. It says from
(17:53):
the holy Spirit of Jesus, who through the Cross has
given us grace. Buddy is too far gone from Jesus's grace,
not even the worst sinner in the world, because Jesus'
grace runs so much deeper than we could even realize.
(18:17):
Jesus died on the cross a perfect man so that
one day you would come to him and say, Lord,
I trust in you. You are my savior, and you
are the Way, the truth, and the life. So as
much as he went through the ups, the hard downs,
(18:42):
the possessions, the struggles, it all comes back to the
grace that Jesus showed him and the love that Jesus
showed him. And he says the past three years have
been a long road of rebuilding, a hard road full
(19:05):
of trials and awakenings. I failed in many ways. I
portrayed my family, my friends, and neglected those I love.
If you are going through something that's difficult or challenging,
remember that Jesus still loves you, and Jesus still wants
you to come back to him. And if there's somebody
(19:27):
in your life that's going through something, encourage them with
the same words. Nobody is too far gone, because Jesus's
grace extends to everyone that seeks it and wants it. Lastly,
(19:49):
I love when he goes back to the different perspectives
of his adoption. He says, I was adopted from South Korea.
I was likely abandoned, but I'm standing here today and
I see that as a miracle. Thank you Lord for
saving me, forgiving me a family, a home, a second
chance at life. I've always seen adoption as something painful,
(20:13):
not because of where it leads, but because of how
it begins, with separation, with abandonment, with uprooting. But now
I realize that my adoption wasn't just a human act.
It was a divine appointment, and that adoption I found
grace and love beyond anything my origins might have suggested.
I love this perspective because this perspective is something that
(20:38):
I've certainly felt in my life with different experiences. When
you look back on it and you're actually grateful for it,
and this is the power of God and the power
of the Holy Spirit working in one's life. Because he
originally sought as painful a separation, abandonment, uprooting, But then
(20:58):
the Holy Spirit got ahold of his life, and now
he looks back on it as a divine appointment. He
looks back on that moment and says, this brought me
to Jesus. And that's the transformation that Jesus and the
Holy Spirit produces in one's life. When you can look
(21:21):
back on a moment and remember just how painful or
hard it was, and then you can look back and say, huh,
that moment actually set me forward into our relationship with Jesus.
So I love that. What an amazing testimony. If you
(21:44):
want to share your testimony like he did, email the
show Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail dot com.
I'd love for you to share it. There are no
bad testimonies. Bring Heaven Down number seven at gmail dot com.
Thank you for listening, and I hope you all have
a good day.
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